The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Tuesday 26 May 2009

In the article below about anti-litter campaigns we said that a staggering 30m tonnes of litter are removed from our streets every day. That would be staggering - it is 30m tonnes every year. We suggested the figure was for Britain; it is for England alone.

It has happened to most of us at one time or another. You're strolling along the pavement, when suddenly one shoe gets stuck to the ground. With a sinking feeling, you realise you've stepped in chewing gum - or worse.

Walking through British towns and cities, it's often hard to avoid the litter strewn across the pavements, roads and green spaces - anything from food wrappers, cigarette butts and dog mess to bottles, cans and plastic bags. A staggering 30m tonnes of litter are removed from our streets every day.

Despite numerous anti-litter campaigns over the last decade, the amount of litter being dropped is not decreasing. The latest data, from the Encams (Keep Britain Tidy) local environmental quality survey of England for 2007/08, shows that while there has been a modest reduction of 3% in the amount of litter compared to the previous year, levels have risen since 2004/05.

Since the 1960s, littering has increased by 500%, according to Litterbugs, a recent Policy Exchange and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) report. It is an unwelcome consequence of the increasingly throwaway society we now live in.

The problem is not just an aesthetic one. Litter is expensive - it costs local authorities in the UK about pounds 500m a year to clean up our rubbish, money that could be better spent on more critical services.

"Despite existing campaigns, real progress hasn't been made, and the long-term trend is an increase in littering," says Ben Caldecott, head of the environment and energy unit at Policy Exchange. "Clean-up costs place a heavy burden on local authorities, to say nothing of the environmental impact of litter and the way it adds to a general feeling of neglect in local communities - which in turn contributes towards crime and antisocial behaviour."

At first glance, the failure of the current strategy to reduce littering substantially is baffling. There are numerous ongoing anti-litter campaigns, including those by Keep Britain Tidy and Keep Scotland Beautiful, the CPRE's Stop the Drop initiative, the Bag it! and Bin it! campaign launched by the Highways Agency, and local authorities' own initiatives.

These are backed by legislation. In 2005, the government introduced the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act (CNEA) that gave local authorities new powers to compel businesses and individuals to get rid of litter from their land and to make companies help clear up the rubbish they generate. It also allowed councils to issue fines for littering.

The campaigns have delivered some improvements. Keep Britain Tidy's campaign to get people to pick up their dogs' poo has reduced it by 29% annually since 2002, and a joint campaign with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reduced chewing gum litter by 62% last year in some areas.

But the CNEA's effectiveness depends on how local authorities implement it. It is quite possible that you could be fined for dropping litter in one borough, but cross the road on to another local authority's patch and not be punished for the same offence.

"At the moment, local authorities' approach to littering is inconsistent," says Geoff Bell, principal legal officer at Kirklees council in Yorkshire. "A rural authority might have to deal with cleaning up confectionery wrappers, whereas an inner-city council might have to deal with trade waste left on the street. We could do with a national approach, an agreed protocol."

Applying the law can be a problem, too. Councils don't have the resources to fine everyone who commits an offence. And dishing out fixed penalty notices can backfire, with local people seeing it as yet another ruse by officious councils to squeeze more money out of them.

"Enforcement is important as it helps people understand that littering is illegal but it could never in a million years solve the problem on its own," says Peter Ramage, the royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea's director for waste management, culture and leisure.

Recognising the problem, some councils have joined forces to try to ensure a more consistent approach. For example, the Yorkshire and Humberside enforcement group comprises 16 councils working together on a number of issues including littering.

But the CPRE wants to see a truly national approach. It is calling for a greater role for Keep Britain Tidy as the national body responsible for co-ordinating anti-littering initiatives, campaigns and programmes, an increase in its current pounds 5m annual budget and the development of a permanent anti-littering educational campaign.

"Not enough money is being given to Keep Britain Tidy to effect long-term behavioural change," says Samantha Harding, Stop the Drop's campaign manager. "At the moment, it can afford only short-term anti-litter campaigning."

The value of long-term anti-littering messaging can be seen in Australia, where New South Wales has been running a campaign since 1999. Litter awareness is integrated with enforcement and cleaning, and is directed at communities through public education media campaigns, education projects and training for councils and government agencies. As a result the amount of litter in NSW is decreasing - by 11% between 2005 and 2007.

Throwaway containers

The CPRE is also calling for a return of the bottle deposit scheme in England, which was phased out 20 years ago, when it became cheaper to manufacture throwaway plastic containers. New York has run a bottle return scheme for 25 years. State department figures show it has recycled 90bn containers, saved 52m barrels of oil, and prevented 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

Defra, though, appears unmoved by the calls for a new approach to litter. A spokesman for the department said there were no plans to beef up Keep Britain Tidy, as it was already successfully helping to change people's attitudes towards littering. It also has no plans to introduce a bottle deposit scheme, despite looking into its viability at the end of last year.

This will come as a disappointment to those campaigning for change, but it is ultimately down to individuals to keep the streets clean. "It's about personal responsibility," says Phil Barton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy. "People need to learn to respect their environment, take pride in where they live, and make sure their litter ends up in a bin. It's not difficult."